The Second-in-Command!

The carriage rolled forward. Beyond the window, sunlight shone brightly; the climate in the Dinge Region truly was pleasant. Karen still remembered how, when he had first arrived in Wien, he would often complain in his heart about Wien's wretched weather, perpetually choked with heavy smog or soaked in endless drizzles. Only after throwing himself into the system of the Church of Order did he realize that for a truly busy person, good or bad weather was merely like that small mural called a window in one's office. It changed its backdrop from time to time, but most of the time, you had no leisure to pay it any heed. The carriage pulled up before a retro three-story building, home to a senior club. Neo had teased Karen more than once, remarking that he had a peculiar knack for winning over old men. It was true. Karen possessed a rather aloof temperament; in dealings with peers of the same age or social standing, he favored settling accounts cleanly on fair terms. Only with certain elders of noble standing or those who had already stepped down did one find people far more likely to cast aside selfish angles and look upon life and the world with a broader magnanimity. Thus, upon taking a liking to Karen, they were willing to pave the way and give a push to a young man they admired, expecting nothing in return. Debts of goodwill like that could not be repaid directly; they could only be returned in kind through shared regard. For that reason, whenever Karen visited the Dinge Region, he always set aside time outside official business to sit awhile at this senior club. The reception attendants at the front desk had changed into brand-new clerical robes, wore makeup and headpieces, and collectively bowed in salute to Karen as he walked in. Karen smiled and nodded at them. There was no need for anyone to lead the way; a gathering of old men was already assembled in the club's main hall. Those who could enter this retirement club were no ordinary retired clergymen, yet the hierarchy remained clearly discernible even now. Those who had held higher status before retirement waited seated, rising leisurely only after Karen entered—and even then, deliberately refraining from glancing at the entrance right away, emphasizing a certain reserved dignity. The club's attendance today was also exceptionally complete. Some who had registered their names but scarcely attended an event once a year had made a special point to show up today. As Karen walked before them, most of the elders began to salute him. Karen returned their bows with earnest respect. After exchanging pleasantries and salutes, many of the old men could not help feeling emotional. The position this young man currently held had already surpassed the highest peak they had achieved before retiring after a lifetime of striving. If Karen were to retire right where he stood, he would instantly receive "Founding Elder" treatment in this club, entitled to pick his favored event themes and granted priority in inviting widowed old ladies to dance. Piro and Liwen had introduced him to others before, and Karen possessed an excellent memory, allowing him to call each elder by name as he greeted them. For those he had never met, the clever old foxes beside them would whisper their names and chat briefly as Karen greeted the person in front, allowing Karen to commit them to memory and address them naturally by name. Piro had not hurried downstairs. Instead, he stood on the stairs watching the scene below, unable to resist chuckling to Liwen behind him: "Look at that. Doesn't it look like a superior inspecting and comforting the retired elderly clerics regarding their pension care?" Liwen quipped, "Are you calling him hypocritical?" "Back when he was little Karen, it was called good manners; now that he's Minister Karen, it's called being approachable. Neither has anything to do with hypocrisy." "Heh." "Sigh, the students I personally brought up can't even begin to match the momentum of a student who only attended a single evening public lecture of mine. Do you know what that means?" Liwen replied, "It means you've been leading youth astray to an appalling degree." "Did you have magic crystal artillery shells for breakfast today?" "Why did you call so many people here anyway? Isn't it just a waste of time?" "Oh, so you're blaming me for that? You have to think from Karen's perspective. Since he's coming once, we might as well maximize the return. They may be a bunch of retired old men and women, but even if they've stepped down, quite a few of their students and clan juniors hold active posts. Touching base and fostering good relations will do him good. Alright, let's head down." Piro and Liwen walked down the stairs, and Karen took the initiative to step forward and meet them. Toward these two elders, Karen adopted an attitude distinctly different from before. To Piro, he offered a more reverent bow, positioning himself as a student; to Liwen, he gave an unadorned bear hug. Liwen slapped Karen's back with considerable force: "Brilliantly done! As expected of my..." In front of so many retired elders, Liwen still felt a bit embarrassed to boast about himself. Most importantly, he knew he hadn't taught Karen how to command battles—he had only taught him close-quarters combat skills, and during that very class, he had even been beaten to the ground by Karen wielding a "God's Servant Certificate." Karen picked up smoothly, "I am your student, after all. I couldn't bring shame to you, Teacher." "Hahahaha!" Delighted, Liwen slapped Karen's back firmly a few more times. Immediately after, Liwen gestured to the crowd below and said to Karen, "Come, follow me." Liwen led Karen up to the second floor and into an activity room. Inside stood an enormous tactical array sand table, identical to the one in Karen's own command tent. The elders who followed them inside clearly bore the bearing of the Knight Orders in their posture and stride. Liwen adjusted the map template, and the terrain of the Chia Grand Canyon quickly materialized, complete with precise troop markings. Evidently, these retired veteran knights had spent a great deal of time here running tactical deductions based on frontline battle reports. "Karen, there's just one thing I couldn't figure out: how were you able to pinpoint the Earth Church's headquarters so accurately? We read the battle reports, but it wasn't clearly stated there." Karen answered, "Because we had an insider. It wasn't convenient to specify that in the report." "Oh, no wonder." Liwen and the elders nodded in sudden comprehension. Next, Liwen switched maps, reviewing various battle engagements alongside the commander himself. It was clear these old men had been starved for action for a long time. Once they had swiftly reviewed the engagements across the maps, Liwen drew a deep breath, like an old chain-smoker taking a long, deeply satisfying drag after a prolonged drought. "We just didn't catch the right era. We missed our chance. When real war came, we were already old." The surrounding retired knights voiced their agreement. The Church of Order's last major campaign had been the "First Day War" against Samsara, followed by this desert conflict. Prior to that, the Church of Order had not fought a formal war for a very long time. Karen smiled and said, "Without all of you, there would not have been such prolonged peace in the past." Hearing these words, smiles broke out on everyone's faces. Coming from anyone else, they would have dismissed it as empty flattery, but hearing it from Karen brought them immense satisfaction. It was an enormous validation. Liwen looked at Karen and said, "What brings us comfort is that the young people have performed wonderfully. It doesn't leave us feeling that each generation is worse than the last, or that we might as well go back out there ourselves. If you had made an unholy mess of things, we would have choked on frustration. "Hey, where did that old bastard Piro go?" Only then did Liwen notice Piro had not joined them. Feeling sheepish about hogging Karen any longer, he led Karen out of the room and into another. Piro was inside, along with a group of elderly array masters. This activity room employed a spatial extension array; its interior could easily accommodate ten basketball courts. The floor and walls were blanketed in array schematics. Karen glanced at one before him and observed that it was a sub-forbidden array. Looking over a few more, he discovered they were arrays of the same caliber, all originating from a single line called the "Sarnan Series." Sarnan had been a genius array master in the Church of Order's history. Drawing upon the fragmented array heritages left behind from the previous era, he had repaired and modified them to create a series of new arrays. Yet unlike other array masters who earned the honor of naming an array series after themselves, the Sarnan Series was not widely celebrated among subsequent generations of array masters, nor did his creations appear in standard array catalogs. This was because his custom-designed arrays, without exception, went to extremes. He turned arrays requiring multiple casters into patterns operable by a single person or a small handful, and drastically stripped down the extensive preparations typically required. In short, he reduced the difficulty of casting arrays on every level, but the side effects were stark: they imposed an immense burden on the array master. Array masters generally possessed average physical constitutions, and the overwhelming majority could not withstand such exhaustion. For the elderly array masters here, the price of successfully deploying such a sub-forbidden array even once would be draining the meager dregs of life they had left. Approaching them, Piro said, "See? We technical talents are vastly more useful than those brutes." Liwen immediately fired back, "Bullshit!" "Both your soul and body are currently in decay. Having you stand in place for a duel is fine, but if you were asked to don armor, mount an undead steed, and charge in formation, how many passes could you even make?" "You..." Karen asked, "Teacher, why are you studying the Sarnan Series arrays?" "We have to prepare. We want to contribute what little warmth we have left. This desert war is more like a military drill, preparing for far larger and grimmer wars ahead. "You young people make your preparations, and we old fogies will make ours. "As you know, the cost of array research is hardly low. Sarnan developed this set of arrays, but no matter how brilliant he was, he could never have succeeded without the Church underwriting his research. "Look here. This one, this one, and that one—these sub-forbidden arrays can be activated by just a pair of people." "Yet the cost is life itself." "Paying with our lives is a bargain for old codgers like us. Once we successfully activate it and die, we can immediately have the 'Awakener' clerics of the First Knight Order help 'resurrect' us so we can quickly fire off a second one. Think of the value!" Karen fell silent. Not only were they treating themselves as frontline consumables, but they were also planning to be recycled and consumed a second time. Having served as a frontline army group commander, Karen had always known that the Church of Order had not truly exerted its full strength or taken serious damage in this desert war. Everything so far had been merely a warm-up jog. Once a true crisis descended, countless faithful of Order would step forward anew—just like Piro and these retired array masters—using their very lives to defend the glory of Order. Not to mention... the sleeping First Knight Order. Even after reaching his current station, Karen remained unable to ascertain just how deep the First Knight Order's true foundation ran. He even suspected that the living administrators of the First Knight Order might not fully know either. Certain entities possessed power that simply could not be tallied on an inventory sheet. Previously, his rank had been insufficient, leaving him without the clearance to pursue many matters he wished to undertake. Now, his status was elevated enough, and the Whip-Wielder had clearly positioned him as his successor, granting him tremendous leverage atop his official rank. Therefore, he could soon find time to submit a request to visit the First Knight Order. In the past, the First Knight Order had been the Church of Order's ultimate deterrent against the entire church circle; even during the fiercest confrontations with the Church of Light, Light had never dared launch a direct, overt war against Order. Now, against the backdrop of the imminent return of the gods, the First Knight Order had become the greatest pillar and foundation for weathering that tide. Without seeing and feeling it for himself, Karen could not feel entirely at ease. It was not fear, but rather the understanding that only by taking clear stock of his assets could he properly plan for the future. He could also apply to visit the containment space—not sneaking in as he had before, but entering openly and legitimately. With his current authority, he might even be able to rent out "Luoya." At the victory banquet, that senior figure from the containment space had told him that if he took a post there, he could grant him unlimited lease renewals on divine artifacts. Though Karen could never switch allegiances to his department, the fact that such an offer had been voiced indicated there was operational room to maneuver. He should be able to go in, take a look, and discuss leasing terms. Point coupons were no longer an issue; the Yorktown Region's reforms were complete, and the terrifying initial capital expenditure was a thing of the past. Moving forward, the entire region would be his purse. Not to mention he also possessed the Whip of Order's Discipline Inspection Department, coupled with the liquidation efforts slated to begin once his official appointment went through... He truly lacked for no point coupons. Of course, those point coupons could not be openly spent on himself, but categorized under another pretext—such as personal security expenditures—they could easily clear through the public accounts. On the carriage ride from the senior club to the grand cathedral for the meeting, Karen continued turning these matters over in his mind. Previously, he had been buried in the rush of climbing the ranks. Now that he could lift his head and look around, he realized the scope of what he could accomplish had broadened dramatically. Karen even thought back to that research project. Back when he was still a member of Neo's Hound Squad, several squads had entered the project's testing area, causing temporal disorientation; he had used his grandfather's mask to masquerade as an advent of a Temple Elder, nearly scaring those researchers out of their wits. Karen did not care much about the project's current progress, but he knew that a portion of his dog's brain and consciousness remained in that project team's hands. He and Neo had once stepped through that door into a magnificent sea of stars. At present, even if he completely unsealed the dog, it could never return to Raniedal at his peak. In truth, Raniedal's state had already been wretched upon arriving alongside him—lacking even a physical body, surviving solely through a peculiar form of existence to evade capture by Diss. Yet if that portion of "brain" were returned to the dog, could it recover a bit more with its help? It would have grown some brains, after all. The operation would be tricky and impossible through official channels, but he could split it half-official and half-shadow: first leveraging his authority and resources to unearth the entire project team, and then, if crude measures were called for, having the "Light remnants" make another stage appearance to ransack the project. At the thought, a faint smile touched the corner of Karen's mouth. Across from him, Little Kanna looked slightly puzzled and asked, "Mm? Did you think of something good?" "I thought of a new angle, and suddenly many things opened up." With his official and shadow identities working in tandem, many matters would become vastly easier to resolve. For instance, after touring the First Knight Order, he would gain a deeper understanding of it. Those "Awakener" clerics required sacred artifacts and arrays to awaken the dead at minimal cost, whereas his own awakenings were far simpler and effortless. The First Knight Order was the exclusive arm of the Church of Order, yet to a degree, Karen could treat it as his own back garden. The practical difficulty lay in persuading the awakened individuals to obey his orders and resolve his current troubles, as well as smuggling them out. But if he could already stroll openly through the First Knight Order on a tour, any remaining hurdles could be overcome with ingenuity. The same applied to the containment space. So long as he could personally visit a few times, he would find a way to turn the Church's containment space into his personal storage room. Under the shadow of such a massive impending crisis, Karen did not care in the slightest whether his methods conformed to the rules, just as he felt no concern for Andilao's feelings about having his post usurped. Time pressed on all fronts. As long as it produced swifter results, he had no room for moral squeamishness or procedural purity. Take that temporal project team: after all their endless research, they would be far better off handing that piece of brain directly to him to feed his dog. The dog was the rightful owner; could outsiders' research ever outpace the dog itself? He wondered what else remained to be addressed. The matter of his parents? Karen's gaze narrowed slightly. The previous major matters were all within his power to manipulate now, but this one... Karen felt the difficulty would be immense, and the present moment was ill-suited for interference. His parents' contamination had been beyond even Diss's power to cure; in the end, to grant them release, Diss had personally sent his own son and daughter-in-law on their way. From Karen's experience, only "divine contamination" could inflict damage so severe that even a mighty existence capable of condensing three godhead fragments stood helpless before it. Recalling the operational background of his parents' mission back then, it likely implicated a Child of God or the Temple. In his current state, he lacked the qualifications to touch that tier. Likely only upon becoming the Whip-Wielder would he be able to launch a thorough investigation into what had happened all those years ago. Yet when would he become the Whip-Wielder? *** "Cough, cough..." Inside the carriage, Foden began to cough. When a lion showed signs of frailty, the wisest course was neither to dwell on it nor provoke him. Miguel pretended not to notice, turning his gaze out the window, where he spotted a carriage belonging to their own branch—one bearing exceptionally high rank markings. Augie acted just as Miguel did, then spoke: "Karen's carriage." She immediately added, "I sensed that dragon beside him." Only then did Miguel speak up: "Yes, it is Commander Karen's carriage." Miguel had arranged that carriage himself for Karen's use while in the Dinge Region. Furthermore, he had plotted the route to the grand cathedral, allowing the driver to adjust speed and stage this chance encounter along the way. In the past, Miguel would never have gone so far, and the same held true now; he had arranged this not merely to pave Karen's path, but because he understood clearly that the Whip-Wielder needed this situation as well. Yet Foden said nothing, merely closing his eyes once more to resume his rest. *** "The big dumb dragon is in that carriage." Little Kanna sensed Augie. Karen peered through the window. Who could have imagined that the Whip-Wielder of the Whip of Order would travel without an escort of bodyguards, riding in a single carriage down the street? Yet upon reflection, it made sense. With Foden's strength, ordinary assassinations meant nothing; if a large-scale ambush were mounted, Augie's presence would easily shatter it. Most importantly, this was the Dinge Region—Order's home ground. Karen's situation was much the same now. After displaying his Dharma body alongside the Whip-Wielder at the victory banquet, the frequency of future assassinations would drop sharply. Assassins knew the difference between taking a calculated gamble and committing pure suicide. Still, the Whip-Wielder's carriage showed no sign of stopping, and Karen could hardly order his driver to pull up alongside, lean out the window, and wave warmly: "Hey, Whip-Wielder, it's me! It's me!" Naturally, ordering the driver to cut off the Whip-Wielder's carriage was out of the question as well. "Tell the driver to slow down and follow behind." Muri promptly relayed Karen's instruction. They arrived at the grand cathedral. The Whip-Wielder's carriage drove straight inside, and Karen, following closely behind, bypassed inspection and entered alongside him. The small square outside the cathedral was crowded with people, just as during previous major assemblies. The lowest-ranking officials present were regional directors. The carriage came to a halt, and the Whip-Wielder stepped down. Every clergyman of their branch in the square bowed in unison toward him: "Greetings, Whip-Wielder!" Foden nodded. At that moment, Karen stepped down from the trailing carriage; the two vehicles were parked very close together. Karen faced two choices: go along with the crowd and bow, or step forward toward him. The former might make the superior feel you were growing distant, failing to seize the opportunity offered to you; The latter might make the superior feel that recent successes had gone to your head, making you arrogant and forgetful of decorum, thereby stirring deep revulsion. From a psychological standpoint, such revulsion was terrifying. When you had treated someone well, constantly extending favors and promotions, a sudden frown caused by a minor matter could easily dismantle all the goodwill accumulated over time, flipping into deep anger and alienation. Thus, the higher one climbed, the more cautious one had to be. Karen looked at Miguel, who was smiling. Beside Miguel, Augie beamed brightly. Karen did not bow; he walked forward. As Karen drew near, the Whip-Wielder turned his head. Karen instantly quickened his pace and took his place beside him. "After your promotion, how do you intend to arrange the directorship of the Yorktown Region?" "This subordinate feels Leon is very suitable." "Wofulun's grandson?" "The sole remaining member of the Wofulun family." Such a promotion would be an enormous leap for Leon. If Karen were not ahead of him setting an impossible standard, Leon's rise would be hailed as the most astonishing speed of advancement in recent years. Yet such a promotion would not provoke excessive shock, for he possessed ancestral shade. On the surface, the war the Church of Order was currently waging in the desert had been ignited to avenge his family. The Whip-Wielder asked, "Can he command respect?" "Personnel transfers within our branch are entirely at your word, sir." "Heh, so you intend to keep the Yorktown Region firmly in your grip." Elevating someone who visibly lacked seniority to a high post was itself a declaration of sovereign authority. Karen replied, "His grandfather showed great kindness to me." Had Head Bishop Wofulun been the least bit petty, Karen might have been "dealt with" back when Neo spread rumors linking him to Her Highness Ophelia. Not to mention Wofulun's subsequent support and sacrifices, culminating in his requesting an audience with the High Priest on his deathbed on behalf of Karen and Bern. "That isn't your usual style." "His capability is beyond question." While Karen had been fighting on the front lines, Alfred, Vic, and Leon had maintained affairs back home. When it came to administrative ability, Leon was unimpeachable. As for Alfred and Vic, Karen intended to bring them into the Discipline Department with him. "Very well." The Whip-Wielder agreed, which meant the matter was settled. In the past, when Karen sought promotions, he had to weigh factions and circles, contending with parachuted figures like Sus and Gaspol occupying positions—all because he had lacked this explicit endorsement from the Whip-Wielder. Where the Whip-Wielder's gaze did not fall, factional power struggles naturally decided the outcome. But where his gaze rested, his will was the supreme law. "Thank you, sir." Foden began striding toward the assembly hall, with Karen keeping pace beside him. "Work must begin immediately. Miguel will give you the roster. You must project an atmosphere entirely different from Andilao's." "Please rest assured, sir." Only by carrying out sweeps and a massive purge could he highlight Andilao's past incompetence. Of course, Andilao was hardly to blame; had he possessed this level of backing from the Whip-Wielder, he too could have run things with fiery vigor. "And what about personnel beyond the core? Do you have enough hands, assuming you don't intend to retain too many veterans?" "More than enough. Since the department is based in the Yorktown Region, there is no shortage of manpower, and I have already arranged for personnel from the corps to transfer to my department." "Then do your work well." "Understood." Karen chatted with Foden as they walked into the assembly hall. Along the way, the regional lords of the branch could only remain frozen in their bows. The scene from the victory banquet repeated itself today. When Karen's Dharma body had manifested beside the Whip-Wielder's, everyone had anticipated this. But seeing Karen and the Whip-Wielder walking side by side now—the Whip-Wielder accompanied by the Frost Giant Dragon, Karen accompanied by the small bone dragon... This was presenting a replica in a manner that could not possibly be more blatant. It was practically prying open the eyes of everyone present with bare hands, forcing the entire room to see clearly who would take the baton in the branch's transfer of power! No one would joke anymore about whether Commander Karen was the Whip-Wielder's illegitimate son, for in the ecology of power, biological fathers and sons rarely went to such lengths. Upon entering the hall, Karen slowed his pace. Having relinquished his military post, he was currently still the Director of the Yorktown Region. According to protocol, he should sit below, waiting for the appointment to be announced before taking a seat on the dais. Karen was generally attentive to procedural details, but the Whip-Wielder clearly had no such intention. He continued tossing casual remarks back and forth with Karen, compelling him to stay at his side. Karen followed him up to the rostrum, ultimately arriving right before the Whip-Wielder's seat. Foden sat down. Below, the regional directors had already taken their seats. On the rostrum, the senior figures remained standing, gathered in a circle, attending upon the conversation between the Whip-Wielder and Karen. If Karen stopped now, he would have to find a seat on the outermost edge of the rostrum to await the announcement; heading back down from the stage was out of the question. Yet the Whip-Wielder kept speaking: "What did you have for lunch?" "Pan-fried fish fillet." He had eaten at the senior club. "Oh? How was the taste?" "Very good." Karen knew the Whip-Wielder was simply making conversation, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't moved. If the Whip-Wielder's previous attitude toward him had been within predictable, reasonable bounds, then ever since the victory banquet, even Karen felt the Whip-Wielder was treating him... far too well. So well that Karen found it somewhat incomprehensible. Foden patted the chair beside him, gesturing for Karen to sit, and asked, "I hear you enjoy cooking?" Karen glanced at the Second-in-Command; this was his seat. The Second-in-Command immediately wore a warm, gentle smile, gesturing for Karen to sit down, while he took the seat reserved for the third-ranking figure. Consequently, the seating of all the senior figures shifted down by one. Karen had no choice but to sit. Once Karen was seated, the Whip-Wielder seemed to lose interest in cooking. Tapping his fingers lightly against the table, he said: "Let the meeting begin." Karen adjusted his posture, facing forward, sitting upright. The Second-in-Command beside him pointed toward the voice-amplifying sacred artifact in front of Karen. Karen reached out to nudge it toward the Second-in-Command, but the latter smiled and shook his head. Karen pulled the sacred artifact back in front of himself and glanced at the Whip-Wielder, who had closed his eyes as though slipping back into rest. With the groundwork laid to this extent, failing to step up would truly be his own failure. Without picking up the artifact, Karen stood up openly. In this moment, those seated below in his field of vision were no longer the regional lords of the Whip of Order, but the Whip of Order Corps under his command. The regional directors below immediately sensed the shift in atmosphere the moment Karen rose. To describe it crudely, it felt as though insects were crawling across their skin; many began adjusting their posture, and several unconsciously moved to stand. When Karen swept his gaze across the hall, someone silently stood up. With a lead taken, the rest rose one after another. This was not merely the imposing pressure radiating from an army group commander, but the weight of authority conferred by the Whip-Wielder. At this juncture, any failure to cooperate could be interpreted as defiance and dissatisfaction toward the Whip-Wielder himself. Once everyone below had risen, the Second-in-Command stood with a faint smile, and all the senior figures on the rostrum stood as well. Karen spoke: "I declare the meeting..." Just then, Karen noticed that the Whip-Wielder beside him, who had been dozing, was also slowly rising to his feet. As the Whip-Wielder stood, the entire hall—both on the rostrum and below—stiffened. Not only did everyone remain standing, but they instinctively threw out their chests and straightened their backs. "...officially commenced." Karen finished the declaration. By ordinary convention, everyone should have sat down now. Karen was already bending to take his seat, but with the Whip-Wielder beside him still standing, Karen could only straighten back up. He added, "Everyone, please be seated." The Whip-Wielder remained standing, so no one sat. "Heh-heh." The Whip-Wielder chuckled. He did not use the amplifying artifact, yet his laugh seemed to echo through the entire grand hall. Then, the Whip-Wielder sat down. The next instant, all the figures on the rostrum and the regional directors below took their seats in rapid succession, producing a crisp, uniform rustle of clerical robes. Once everyone was seated, the Second-in-Command finally picked up the amplifying artifact and began announcing the personnel appointments. First came Andilao's reassignment—nominally a promotion, rewarding him with a series of benefits, honors, and political prestige. Next came the reading of Karen's appointment, articulated in an expansive preamble: The opening summarized the meritorious service Karen had rendered since assuming the posts of Whip of Order Corps Commander and Ninth Army Group Commander; the middle reviewed the achievements he had accomplished within this branch; Finally, his voice rose: "Following deliberation by this branch, formal request by the Whip-Wielder, and approval by the High Priest, it is hereby appointed: Karen Silva..." Karen smoothed the cuffs of his clerical robe and stood up. The next instant, every cleric on the rostrum and below rose along with him. Only after standing did they realize they shouldn't have, yet none dared sit back down. The Second-in-Command was still reading the appointment, but the new order had in truth long since been declared. "...appointed as Minister of the Discipline Inspection Department of the Whip of Order, Church of Order." Having concluded the announcement, the Second-in-Command took his seat—naturally becoming the third-in-command. Karen pressed his fist to his chest, facing the entire assembly, and called out: "Wield the Whip..." Every person below made the exact same gesture and responded in unison: "For Order!" Inside the hall, the voices surged like a tide, reverberating like a tolling bell. This meant that from this moment forth, the title by which Karen was addressed within this branch would change. He was no longer Director Karen, Commander Karen, or Minister Karen, but rather... [The Second-in-Command].